Turkey's renewable energy sector requires some improvements to realize its full potential, Oguz Turkyilmaz, the chairman of the Energy Commission of Turkey's Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, said Wednesday.
Speaking at the Eppen Eurasia Energy Summer School held in Turkey's southern province of Antalya, Turkyilmaz advised that Turkey's hydropower potential should be recalculated.
'If it is assumed that hydropower generation is based on 140 billion kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/year) and with 3,300 hours of annual operation time, capacity should be computed at 42,424 megawatts (MW),' he explained.
'Some studies refer to the generation potential of 170 billion kWh/year and installed capacity of 52,000 MW. However, some other analyses underline that due to adverse effects of rapid urbanization, utilization of dams for water supply and irrigation, and negative impacts of climate change on water, the actual hydropower potential will be less than assumed,' he explained.
Due to these factors, Turkyilmaz claimed that Turkey's actual hydropower potential must be recomputed, and inefficient projects, of which the social costs are more than their benefits, must be cancelled.
- Wind power
Turkyilmaz said projects licensed by Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) amount to 12,586 MW but Turkey's wind power capacity is classified as 'good' and 'extraordinary' with a potential capacity of 47,849 MW.
'This only constitutes around one quarter of Turkey’s wind potential. As of June 2015, only 4,024 MW is in operation, while the major portion of wind power potential is awaiting evaluation,' he explained.
- Geothermal
Turkey’s geothermal energy potential is estimated around 31,500 MW, while its proven effective technical capacity is 4,078 MW, or 32 percent, of which 1,306 MW is currently utilized.
He maintains that the capacity of geothermal power plants in operation is 431 MW as of the end of June 2015. The capacity of projects at a construction stage is 395 MW, while projects with a capacity of 402 MW are undergoing various stages in the license procedure as of November 2014.
'If all these projects are realized, then the government’s 700 MW target for 2019 will be doubled. Nevertheless, even this figure will be behind the 2000 MW forecast,' the expert said, advising that target figures have to be revised and updated also for geothermal power generation.
- Solar power
Turkyilmaz stated that it is possible to install 287,500 MW to generate a minimum of 363 terawatt-hours (TWH) of electricity per year in Turkey's south, below the 38.5 parallel line.
'With additional 10 percent generation with unlicensed roof top and garden applications, this generation could increase to 400 TWH,' he said.
'However, installed capacity of all solar power projects that would be given a license are only 600 MW, while the 2019 target is 3,000 MW and the 2023 target is set at 5,000 MW. Active facilities which don’t require licenses have a capacity of 107 MW,' he explained.
The expert concluded that these figures show that policies are not running in parallel with solar's projections.
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency
ovunc.kutlu@aa.com.tr